Chandigarh: It is learnt that Justice Ranjit Singh Commission has sought fresh reply from former Punjab police chief Sumedh Saini. The commission is probing cases related to beadbi of Guru Granth Shaib and Behbal Kalan police firing of October 2015 in which two Sikhs were killed.

Bhai Krsishan Bhagwan Singh and Bhai Gurjeet Singh, who were killed in police firing at Behbal Kalan in October 2015 [File Photo]

As per media reports former DGP Sumedh Saini had submitted his reply to Justice Ranjit Singh (retd) Commission on June 29, just a day before his retirement. He retired from police on June 30.

According to a report in The Tribune (TT), ‘[a]vailable information suggests that Saini’s replies do not specifically answer the queries posed to him. The commission has set July 15 as the deadline for him to furnish a fresh reply. Justice Ranjit Singh has also written to the Punjab government that it may consider Saini’s reply for giving a fair chance to all before eventually submitting a supplementary report’.

Former Punjab police chief Sumedh Saini [File Photo]

‘In his reply, Saini is said to have referred to a telephonic conversation he had hours before the police opened fire during an anti-sacrilege protest at Kotkapura (Faridkot) in October 2015, indicating that the top brass was cognisant of the developments’.

There are unconfirmed reports that the commission has found some sort of evidence which shows that Sumedh Saini had ordered the police party on ground to take strict action against Sikhs who were staging a demonstration against Bargari beadbi incident on a link road leading of Behbal Kalan village.

As per The Tribune (TT) report, [t]he commission has already recorded that then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was contacted by then local MLA Mantar Singh Brar before the firing incident and had issued “some directions” for handling the situation. The directions were issued through the then DGP, the commission recorded in one of its orders. Badal, so far, has declined to furnish information sought from him. He has told the commission that his party (SAD) has rejected the panel.

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About Bargari Beadbi Incident, Behbal Kalan Firing and Commissions of Inquiries Setup in this Matter:

Bargari Beadbi Incident: A saroop of Guru Granth Sahib was stolen from village Burj Jawahar Singh Wala on June 01, 2015. After which some posters were pasted in that village challenging Sikhs to find the stolen Saroops. On October 12, 2015 Beadbi of Guru Granth Sahib was committed in Bargari village and it is believed that the culprits committed beadbi of Saroop that was stolen from village Burj Jawahar Singh Wala.